Joseph h



- (No Model.)

J. H. WOOLASTON.

REVERSIBLE LATCH. No. 394,428. Patented Dec. 11, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOSEPH H. \VOOLASTON, OF NE? HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BARNES MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

REVERSIBLE LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,428, dated December 11, 1888.

Application filed April 23, 1888. Serial No. 271,551. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH H. WooLAsToN, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Reversible Latches; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, To and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, an inside view of the latch, the cover-plate removed; Fig. 2, a transverse section cutting inside the dog; Fig. 3, a longitudinal central section cutting through the tail; Fig. 4, a transverse section, the same as Fig. 2, the plate removed, showing the dog as turned upon its pivot as for the introduction or removal of the nose.

This invention relates to an improvement in spring-latches for doors, such as are provided with a bolt having a bevel-face adapted to strike the keeper as the door is closed, the bevel shape of the bolt causing it to be forced into the case to pass the keeper, and so that the spring within the case will return the bolt into engagement with the keeper, the invention being specially applicable to the class of latches commonly called night-latches that is to say, latches in which the bolt is adapted to be drawn by means of a key, and which is automatically thrown by means of a spring within the case.

The object of the invention is to make the nose of the bolt reversible, so that the same latch may be adapted for either a right or left hand door; and the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claim.

A represents the case of a common rim nightdatch; B, the slide arranged in the case and suitably guided, said slide carrying the bolt. The spring 0 operates to force the slide and normally hold it in its thrown position.

D represents the kcy-cylinder, which carries an arm, E, which is adapted to work against a shoulder, F, on the slide, and so that as the key cylinder is turned, say, to the right it draws the slide inward, the spring yielding for that purpose.

As thus far de-' scribed the construction of the latch is common and well known.

Instead of making the nose G of the bolt as a stationary or integral part of the slide,

in the usual construction, I make it detached and construct it with a tail, II, extending longitudinally from the inner end of the nose and in a central line with the nose, and I construct the slide with a flange, I, at its outer end, through which is an opening, J, corresponding to the tail II of the nose. The tail ll of the nose G is constructed with an annular groove, K, distant from the inner end of the nose equal to the thickness of the flange I on the slide, and upon the inner side of the flange I, I hang a dog, L, upon a pivot, M, at one side of the opening J, and so as to swing in a plane parallel with the inner face of the flange Ithat is, at right angles to the tail II. The thickness of this dog corresponds to the length of the groove K in the tail of the nose G.

The nose G is introduced by passing the tail H through the opening J in the flange I, and so as to bring the inner end of the nose against the outer face of the flange I; then the dog is turned down to bring it into the groove K in the tail of the nose, which interlocks the nose with the slide, so that the nose is forced to move with the slide. The nose works through the face -plate in the usual manner, and its angular shape prevents its rotation.

'hen it is required to .reverse the nose, the dog L is raised to disengage the nose from the slide, then the nose is withdrawn, and, being reversed, is returned and interlocked, as hereinbefore described.

It will be understood that the plate of the lock-case is removed for convenience of access to the dog L. hen the plate is in place, as represented in Fig. 2, it prevents the dog from turning on its pivot, and so that thereby the engagement between the dog and the nose is secure. 5

While specially adapted for nightlatches, the invention may be applied to knob-latches, it onlybeing necessary that the slide shall be constructed with a flange through which the tail of the nose shall pass, and so that the dog zoo may be hung on said flange to swing in a plane at right angles to the tail, and so as to interlock therewith.

It is not deemed necessary to illustrate the latch mechanisms to which this invention is applicable.

I claim In a bevel-nose latch, the combination of a slide arranged in the case, mechanism, substantially such as described, to impart the drawing and throwing movement to said slide, the said slide constructed with a flange, I, at its outer end, the bevel-nose G, constructed with a longitudinal and centrally-arranged tail, H, 

